The Grimm Diaries are pages written in a Book of Sand, where each fairy tale character confessed the true stories once altered by the Brothers Grimm two centuries ago. To keep the truth about fairy tales hidden, the Brothers Grimm buried the characters in their dreams to never wake up again. But the curse is broken now, and the characters are allowed to wake up every one hundred years. They intend to tell the truth about really happened, and about an untold cosmic conflict between fairy tale characters.

Rating:

This is such a hard ‘book’ to review, I’m still not sure about the rating. I really liked the twist to the stories from the Brothers Grimm. According to this book, the Brothers Grimm altered the true fairytales. The immortal characters from those tales lived among us until there was a cursed placed upon them. They were buried in their own dreams; the Dreamworld. Some of the Immortals broke the curse and they could wake up once every hundred years. The good ones want to tell the truth about their fairytales, the bad ones want to bring wrath on our world. Everything is documented in a Book of Sand, also called the Grimm Diaries. You are now reading part of those diaries.

This weekI decided to return to my fairytales and I picked 3 books from 2014 without a cover to showcase. They sound great to me and I can't wait for the covers.

Title: The glass casket.Author:McCormick Templeman.Expected Publication: 2014.Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers.Pitched as a twisted
retelling of Snow White, in which a 16-year-old is left to uncover the
evil forces responsible for her cousin’s gruesome murder before they
destroy her family, her village, and her whole world.

Title: A rose during the winter.Author: Bianca Inson.Pages: 450.Expected Publication: November 18th 2014.Set in the futuristic
world of Rapture, where fairy tales have always existed and are at war
with humans. When Rose Grimm is attacked in her home by a dragon, she
discovers a frightening ability within her that can create, but also
destroy.Exiled from the Human compound, Rose is sent into the
unforgiving landscape that is the Dark Seas. Rose is then kidnapped by
brothers Echo the Wolf and Fuse the Huntsman, and brought to Maleficent,
who believes she is the key to raging war on Humans and Fairy Tale
creatures alike. As Rose is thrown deeper into a world she does
not understand, anger and fear will unleash a power so dark and
destructive that Rapture will fall to it's knee's.

Two hundred years ago, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of Children’s and Household Tales. Now, at a veritable fairy-tale moment—witness the popular television shows Grimm and Once Upon a Time and this year’s two movie adaptations of “Snow White”—Philip Pullman, one of the most popular authors of our time, makes us fall in love all over again with the immortal tales of the Brothers Grimm.

Rating:

This book is a dream for every fairytale lover. Pullman took fifty of his favorites stories from the Brothers Grimm and he bundled them into this book. The only reason why I gave it 4 flowers instead of 5 is the fact that I expected more input from Pullman. We get a lot of extra information and background story at the end of each story and I loved that, but the fairytales are still the same. He didn’t retell them, although he made some adjustments.

I totally forgot to mention these books in my last haul. I won the e-books Grimm Diaries Prequel 1 – 6 by Cameron Jace in a giveaway. He also accidently sent me I am alive. I’m very excited about the Grimm books, they sound good.

What if all you knew about fairy tales was wrong?Warning: these Grimm Prequels are like snap shots of a magical land you're about to visit soon. I like to think of them as poisoned apples. Once you taste them, you will never see fairy tales in the same light again. This Grimm Diaries Prequels are a number of short books in the form of epistolary diary entries. The diaries are more of teasers for the upcoming series: The Grimm Diaries, allowing you to get a glimpse of what to expect of the series. The 6 diaries are told by The Evil Queen, Peter Pan, Little Red Riding Hood, the Devil, Prince Charming, and Alice Grimm.Every girl dies - not every girl really lives.Sixteen-year-old Decca Tenderstone feels captivated when she meets gorgeous and reckless Leo, who is arrogant, silent, beautiful, and shoots almost every one he meets. They live in a dystopian future in Los Angeles where every sixteen-year-old is ranked on a scale from one to ten to determine their future. Outranks, who are considered a danger to society, are forced to attend the Monster Show, a brutal sacrificing ritual that is broadcasted worldwide on live TV, where rebellious teens are labelled Bad Kidz or Monsters and get to fight for their lives in deadly games. To prove that you're still alive you have to scream I Am Alive every six hours. Lower your voice, and you're dead. Decca doesn't need Leo's company. She has a secret of her own. While they both can't stand each other, she will find out why she doesn't fit into any rank. Nothing will stand in her way as she has to make choices concerning love, life, staying alive, growing up, and finding out who she really is.
I was strong enough to stay away from Netgalley, so I didn’t request any new books. I did find two great deals; 5.38 USD (4 euro) for The graveyard book and Smoke and Mirrors from Neil Gaiman.

These are the Dutch editions I got. I love these covers! I have now six of his books in this edition and they look so pretty on the shelves.
The red/brownish one is The graveyard book and the blue/greenish one is Smoke and mirrors.

I’m now waiting before I order my books from TBD, because I’m going to a book fair next week. I can’t wait! I’m also excited to order some books, because I want The fairest beauty from Melanie Dickerson :D

Title: Eve.Author: Anna Carey.Pages: 318.Published: October 4th 2011.Publisher: HarperCollins.Sort: Part one of ‘Eve’Source: Won in a giveaway.
THIS IS A REREAD.

Where do you go when nowhere is safe?Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth's population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school's real purpose--and the horrifying fate that awaits her. Fleeing the only home she's ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school, and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust.. and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

Rating:

I read this book somewhere in 2011, but I decided to re-read it before continuing in Once. The first time I rated it on Goodreads with 3 stars and I enjoyed it again. There are some inconsistencies in this book, but that didn’t bothered me so much.

The background story is:The world is destroyed after a deadly virus. One man stepped up to rebuild the world. He started with The City of Sands and his title is ‘King of the New America.’ Every girl is promised a future in this city, but this is a lie.

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. And it was not Alodia. Alodia is the crown princess of the realm. The sister who knows how to rule, and the one who is constantly reminded that she has not been marked for a grand destiny. But Alodia has plans, and she will be the greatest queen her people have ever known. So she travels--with her hopeless, naïve, chosen sister--to a distant part of their land, to begin to secure her supporters. This region needs its princesses, for it is plagued with a curse. The crops don't grow, the spring doesn't arrive, and a fierce jaguar stalks the shadows, leaving only empty homes splashed with blood behind. If Alodia can save them, no one will be able to deny her strength and her sovereignty. But what she discovers could change the fate of her kingdom, if not her world. And it will most certainly change her opinion of her younger sister.

Rating:

I don’t think I have ever rated any short book with 5 flowers before, but this book totally deserves it. Rae Carson knows how to write. After reading part one, I fell in love with her writing-style and she managed to create another fantastic story in only 54 pages. It made me extra excited for her second book – which I hope to get soon!

I found this cover reveal five minutes ago while browsing on Goodreads and I thought it would be fun to share it with you guys. Ironskin part two has a title and cover!

Copperhead.

I wasn't blown away by Ironskin,but I might give this one a shot after all. It will be published September 2013
by Tor Books. What Tina (source: Goodreads) says about this book:

And yes, that's not Jane on the cover. Jane is in the story, but with
COPPERHEAD we jump forward six months from the end of IRONSKIN and
Jane's sister Helen gets the chance to tell her story.. More story details to come down the road!

Ironskin:Jane Eliot wears an iron mask. It’s
the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great
War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin. When
a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a
"delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain
the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help. Teaching the
unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t
expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward
Rochart. Jane knows Rochart cannot love her,
just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But
what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the
secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become
whole again.

The court of Henry VIII
is rife with intrigue, rivalries and romance - and none are better
placed to understand this than the women at its heart.

Katherine
Parr, widowed for the second time aged thirty-one, is obliged to return
to court but, suspicious of the ageing king and those who surround him,
she does so with reluctance. Nevertheless, when she finds herself caught
up in a passionate affair with the dashing and seductive Thomas
Seymour, she believes she might finally be able to marry for love. But
her presence at court has attracted the attentions of another...

Captivated
by her honesty and intelligence, Henry Tudor has his own plans for
Katherine and no one is in the position to refuse a proposal from the
king. So with her charismatic lover dispatched to the continent,
Katherine must accept the hand of the ailing egotistical monarch and
become Henry's sixth wife - and yet she has still not quite given up on
love.

This sounds very good and it's about the Tudors! You can't go wrong with that. Leave a link to your WoW in the comments!

When New York City jewellery designer Garet James stumbles into a strange
antiques shop in her neighbourhood, her life is about to be turned upside down.
John Dee, the enigmatic shopkeeper, commissions her to open a vintage silver box
for a generous sum of money. Oddly, the symbol of a swan on the box exactly
matches the ring given to her by her deceased mother. Garet can’t believe her
luck and this eerie coincidence until she opens the box and otherworldly things
start happening.. That evening, the precious silver box is stolen. When Garet
begins to investigate, she learns that she has been pulled into a prophecy that
is hundreds of years old, and opening the box has unleashed an evil force onto
the streets of Manhattan and the world at large. Does Garet possess the power to
reclaim the box and defeat this devastating force?

Rating:

Garet James is twenty-six and lives with her father Roman. He has some debts
and she is trying hard to help him. She makes jewellery and one day, she
stumbles into a strange shop. John Dee knows about her and he asks her to help
him to open a silver box. He will give her a nice sum of money. Garet is
intrigued by the symbol of a swan; it resembles the swan from her ring. She
feels like it means something, but strange things happen when she opens the box.
That evening, the box is stolen and her father is shot.

That’s how Will Hughes comes into her life and he isn’t just some person. His
past is entangled with Garet’s past. He opens a whole new world for her and
Garet finds out that she has an important role. Her mother was one of the
Watchers and it’s Garet’s job to find John Dee. He is planning to destroy the
world with the box; he is now able to call out the demons of Despair and
Discord. Together with the attractive Will and famous Oberon, she is trying to
track down John Dee’s hiding place before it is too late.

I liked
Garet. Her life is turned upside down, but she doesn’t whine about it. She takes
things as they are and she is pretty kick-ass. There is something special
running through her veins and she learns some great tricks by visiting legends,
like Melusine. It was fun
to see how some of these mythical creatures are supposed to be entwined with our
lives. I loved their background stories. The other characters play a small role
and I didn’t really connect with them, but I appreciated their input in Garet’s
life.

The world-building is good. We slowly unravel the situation and
there was enough information to understand what is going on, without getting
boring. There is a constant pace that worked very well with the story and the
writing-style was fine.

The thing that bothered me is a minor spoiler so you will have to see for
yourself, but it has to do with the developing feelings between Garet and Will.
It went a bit too fast for my taste, despite the explanation about their special
bond. Also the fact that Garet is willing to do something for him while she
doesn’t know him so long, was strange in my eyes. I guess I just didn’t see the
sparks between them, but I hope that it will develop in the sequel - a book I
will definitely read, because I want to see how this is going to continue.

This is so awesome. At the beginning of this week, I won a signed copy from Anna Carey – Eve at EM Castellan. It arrived today. Two days ago I got a mail that I won a signed copy from A.G Howard – Splintered. This was one of my most anticipated books from 2013! I can’t wait to get this pretty copy in my hands. Thanks to Nobonita.

I got two new books from Netgalley.I’m currently reading Lee Caroll – Black swan rising and I like it so far. This book is already available, because it was published November 1st 2010 by Bantam. Tia Nevitt’s – The magic mirror and the seventh dwarf is the second book in Accidental enchantments. I haven’t read the first one, but based on the blurb, I think I can read this as a stand-alone. It will be published February 18th 2013 by Carina Press.

I’m very happy with everything I got and I can’t wait to order some books from the Christmas money. Show me your haul by leaving a link! :)

Title: Everneath. Author: Brodi Ashton. Pages: 370. Published: January 24th 2012. Publisher: HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray.Sort: Part one of ‘Everneath’ Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen. As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

Rating:

Nikki was sucked into the underworld, also called the Everneath. This is a layer between heaven and hell where certain people found a way to be immortal: The Everlivings. Every hundred years they must bring someone with them, so they can suck out their emotions and energy in order to survive. These victims are called Forfeits. Most of them die after the Feed, but the living are taken away in the Tunnels where they feed the whole Everneath with their energy. Nikki lives and she chooses to Return. She has six months before the Shadow in her opens the Tunnel to take her back. Her Everliving Cole follows her and tries to persuade her to return with him. He can make her his Queen and that will spare her of the horrible fate in the Tunnels.

But Nikki isn’t planning to return with Cole. She is trying to get her life back, but most of all, she wants to see her boyfriend Jack. When they slowly get their friendship back, Nikki decides to tell him everything. Jack believes her and together, they are trying to find a way to defeat the Everneath.

Young, beautiful, and wealthy, Emma Pennington is accustomed to a very comfortable life. Although war rages abroad, she hardly feels its effect. She and her mother travel from their home in Britain to the family estate in Belgium, never imagining that the war could reach them there. But it does. Soon Emma finds herself stranded in a war-torn country, utterly alone. Enemy troops fight to take over her estate, leaving her with no way to reach her family, and no way out. With all of her attention focused on survival and escape, Emma hardly expects to find love. But the war will teach her that life is unpredictable, people aren't always what they seem, and magic is lurking everywhere.

Rating:

Not all the retellings in this series are a success – this is a good example. I liked the promise of this book. It started out as a lovely story. Emma Pennington is stuck in the family estate in Belgium. She never expected the war to come so close, until the German troops arrive. Emma just saved the life of a man. Jack is part of the Allied troops, but Emma lies to the group of German soldiers and tells him that he is her husband. Jack ended up in the well in front of her house after an gas attack. He is badly injured and now they are locked away in a room in the house. They spend a lot of time together and Jack starts to fall in love with Emma, but all she wants is return to her father in Britain.

I liked how there wasn’t an instant-love from both sides. It did annoy me that Emma only realized she loved him, because everybody had to tell her that. And one moment in the book, she’s suddenly like: “Oh yes, they were right. I do love him!” .. I thought you were so intelligent, Emma.

When three Allied soldiers arrive to check out the area, they are taken hostage. One of the soldiers is the young boy Kit, someone Jack knows; he will do everything to safe this boy. Jack has a special ability and it gave him the nickname ‘frog’ Can he safe Kit? And can Jack and Emma escape before it is too late?

The fact that this story is set in our world was great. I loved the war element and the way Weyn used the frog aspect. Emma and Jack started out as good characters. Their interactions where fun, but Jack’s constant begging for a kiss started to annoy me. The middle part dragged a little and that surprise me. I expected more story, because this book only has 194 pages. I couldn’t buy the paranormal aspect around Jack. It felt out of place.

The conclusion is: if you want to read a book from this series, don’t start with this one.